Dear, Alabama: This Is What Happens When You Don’t Teach Real Sex-Ed

I have lived in northern Alabama my entire life. In middle school, we had a sex education class. Welp… In Alabama, our sex-ed is really abstinence-ed.

Here is John Oliver’s brilliant take on the subject:

We were told that condoms and birth control don’t work. They used scare tactics to try and keep people from having sex. The problem is, horny teenagers still have sex, but then they don’t use protection.

Well, now, Alabama has issued a syphilis advisory in my area. This is what happens when you don’t educate teens and young adults.

Our laws require all sex education to focus on abstinence. They preach that abstinence is the only option kids have.

It can even make some kids scared to have sex. They tried to make us sign an abstinence pledge in the 7th grade!

How are they supposed to expect 12-year-olds to decide to never have sex until they get married?! It makes many kids afraid of sex because they are taught that it is bad. Sexual urges are natural, and shouldn’t be demonized.

This is a very unhealthy attitude to preach. We should all get medically accurate information.